Article of apparel such as collars, and method of making same



July 23, 1935. F. R. REDMAN 2,009,139

ARTICLE OF APPAREL SUCH AS COLLARS, AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 25, 1955 Patented July 23, 1935 PATENT OFFICE A ARTICLE OF APPAREL SUCH AS COLLARS, AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Frank R. Bedman, Yardley, Pa.

Application February 23, 1935, Serial No. 7,889

Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved process of treating fabric materials, particular- 1y lining material as used in the manufacture of articles of apparel, and to a new and improved 5 article of apparel obtainable thereby.

An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide an improved method of manufacturing lining material particularly adaptable for use in articles of apparel which are subject to repeated laundering.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing articles of apparel, such as collars, cufis, bosoms and the like and to thus produce a novel product having several features of advantage hereinafter set forth.

As this invention is directed particularly to the treatment of lining cloth for articles of apparel, and to the manufacture of the finished articles, it will be described'with particular referenceto this special application, although it is to be understood that it likewise pertains to other articles which are subject to repeated laundering. Moreover, as the problems presented in the manufacture of collars presents all of the major prob-, lems of manufacture of articles of apparel, particularly referred to inthis invention, I shall use collars as an example to disclose the invention and the advantages thereof. In the drawing,

Figure l is a perspective view of a collar em bodying the invention, a portion of the outer cover cloth being torn back to disclose the lining ply;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing lining material treated in accordance with the invention; and

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views of the lining materialat different stages of the treatment thereof.

It is general practice in the manufacture of collarsto assemble multiple plies of fabric which have previously been cut in desired shape and size. A collar so assembled can be divided into its two major parts, namely, the neck-band and the fold-over top. In general practice, both of these major parts are constructed from three plies of fabric; a face ply, an interlining, and a back ply, the neck-band and fold-over top being made up separately and subsequently stitched together. While there are other processes of manufacturing collars, this method is the one most universally practiced, and the present invention is intended to conform particularly with equipment used to manufacture collars of such general construction,'although, as will be noted later, the invention contemplates the possibility of eliminating one of the component plies, if desired. I

Some of the desirable features or objectives, which are attained by the present invention may be enumerated as follows:

l. Elimination of any noticeable tendency to shrink or stretch during normal usethroughout the life of the article.

2. A lining cloth so treated that it will read ily become cemented to a cover cloth or cloths by the application of heat and pressure as generally used in the manufacture of collars without the use of a solvent.

3. Permanent firmness, or stiffness if desired, which obviates the necessity of using starch or the like during repeated laundering.

4. Alaminated article which during the initial laundering becomes readily permeated by water to permit satisfactory laundering under normal washing conditions.

5. A laminated article the plies of which will not become separated at the temperature of boiling water.

6. A laminated article which will not wilt from dampness or perspiration.

By the present invention these objectives are obtained and combined in textile material such as lining cloth. The inventionwill now be described with particular reference to these desired features in the order that they are'enumerated above. M

It is well known in the art of finishing textile fabrics that most of the so-called residual shrink in finished fabrics, such as cotton fabrics, is caused by the stretch that the fabric undergoes through the various processes of bleaching and finishing. This stretching or increase in length of the material is commonly called gain". If, in the process of finishing the fabric, no operation is undergone to compensate for the stretch, it will when laundered return to approximately its original length; hence the "gain" actually designates the approximate shrink.

To avoid gain, it is general practice to shrink the material in some type of drier or equipment designed to eliminate the pull or otherwise mechanically reduce the gain. While such methods may serve to reduce-the residual shrink, they do not entirely eradicate it. A process of treatment that might be applied to a fabric after the gain has been effected, and which will render the material absolutely non-shrinking and nonstretching, is a desirable objective in that greater yardage could thereby be obtained. This invention contemplates the treatment of fabric after 4 the gain has been effected or, if desired, after coating, as will appear.

the fabric has been shrunk, in a manner to effectively cement the constituent fibres one to another, the cross threads to each other, thereby preventing subsequent shrinkage or stretching of the material.

The material used for the treatment of the fabric to prevent shrinkage and stretching may be any one of a variety of materials, for example starch or more preferably a water-insoluble material. In the case starch is employed, the fabric of the lining ply, preferably a preshrunk fabric, is treated in the usual way with the starch. The starch in this case will serve to resist the pull in subsequent operations and will hold the fabric flat for the subsequent application of a resinous As will hereinafter be explained, cracking in the coating of the surface of the water-insoluble resinous surface fllm takes place as the result of the mechanical action of the laundering. This cracking permits water to seep into the threads of the lining fabric and if starch is employed to preset the threads of the lining fabric, it will ultimately be removed by washing to a great extent so that a slight shrinkage ensues.

For this reason, it is desirable that the material employed to render the lining ply non-shrinking and non-stretching be insoluble in water as well as insoluble in materials that are used in subsequent operations, for example, the solvent of the resinous composition. Treatment with a solution from which cellulose may be precipitated or regenerated gives excellent results. For example, a viscose solution, or a solution of cellulose in ammoniacal copper hydroxide, from either of which cellulose is precipitated and regenerated on the lining ply after treatment with sulphuric acid, is to be preferred. In place of the regenerated cellulose, other materials which may be rendered insoluble on the threads of the lining ply may be employed if desired; for example, the

insoluble compound obtained by reacting glue or gelatine and formaldehyde.

In" the formation of these insoluble bonding materials on the lining ply, it is necessary to pass the fabric into two solutions successively, the first containing the material to be precipitated, and the second the precipitating agent. For example, the first may be a solution of viscose, cellulose-cupra-ammonium or glue, and the second the appropriate precipitating agentsulphuric acid or formaldehyde. The lining fabric is submerged in open flat form in the solutions and any suitable machine or device which will insure uniform impregnation may be employed.

In a typical case, the fabric is immersed in a normal viscose solution containing approximately 4% cellulose. While the fabric is still wet, it is passed through a solution of sulphuric acid in water, the concentration of which is approximately 6% by weight. This serves to precipitate the cellulose in and around the fibres of the fabric. The fabric is rinsed in plain water to wash out the excess acid, and then passed through a bath containing approximately 1 /2% sodium sulphide to the weight of water. This operation serves to dissolve the sulphites formed by the previous reaction of sulphuric acid on viscose. Again the fabric is thoroughly rinsed in plain water until completely free of impurities, and is then dried to the width desired. In this case, as in the case with the cupra-ammonium solution of cellulose, the cellulose is deposited in and around the threads of the fabric in such a mannor as to create a bond between'the fibres of each thread and the cross threads one to the other.

-In Flames 2 and 3, the lining fabric treated as described is shown at I. In Figure 3, the cellulose is shown moreclearly at 2. The threads are bonded to one another at the multitudinous cross-over or intersection points shown in Figure 2.

It is found that the above operation renders the material less prone to ,shrink or stretch than in its original condition, but in order to substantially eliminate the shrinkage or stretching, it is usually necessary to repeat the treatment to insure that the bond between the fibres and the cross threads of the fabric is complete, and a thin coating of cellulose is created over andaround the threads. It is found that three immersions, as above specified, are desirable to assure the result desired. However, in view of subsequent operations to be discussed hereinafter, it will be seen that it may not always be necessary to carry the above operation to completion inasmuch as the said later. treatment in itself serves to assist in obtaining the desired elimination of shrink or stretch.

After the material has been thus treated, a thermoplastic resinous material is applied to one or both sides of the lining material whichever may be desired. The resinous material applicable for use is one which does not soften sufficiently at the boiling point of water to lose its adherent qualities but which softens at the temperature of the iron, for example, at temperatures between 250 F. and 300 F. so that during each pressing operation after laundering the material re-assumes a stiffness comparable to that originally provided. The term thermoplastic resinous material is employed herein to designate those products which exist in a sufliciently stable chemical condition so that repeated applications of heat at the pressing temperatures will not result in the loss of the thermoplastic properties of the resin. These properties are possessed by various resinous compositions; for example, certain resins of the following group have these properties and may be employed: polyvinyl resins, polystyrol resins, polyhydric alcohol-polybasic acid resins, ureaformaldehyde resins, thiourea-formaldehyde resins, aromatic sulphamides-formaldehyde resins, and the like with or without plasticizers. The polyvinyl resins are by virtue of their being water-white basically suitable for the purpose. These resins may be described as follows:

Vinylite A (polymer of vinyl-acetate) has a melting range approximating 150 F. It is not discolored by the application of heat, but by itself ylene which belongs to the same family as Vinylite only phenyl is substituted for chloride or acetate) has a melting range above 300 F. It is not detrimentally alfected by the acid or alkali used in laundering and is not discolored by the application of heat.

As it is desired to effect a permanent bond between the lining cloth and the cover cloth or cloths at a temperature approximately 250 F. or

3,009,189 'above, which will not separate at the temperature of boiling water, 212 F., it is preferred to blend certain of these resinous materials, first, to obtain the melting range desired, second, to eliminate the tendency of discoloration by laundering including the action of the heat .to which the fabric may be exposed, and'third, to eliminate the detrimental eifect of acid and alkali as, used in laundering. By blending the resinous materials in proper proportions, this can be accomplished, for example:

Percent Vinylite H" approximately 69 Vinylite A 29 Calcium stearate (to serve as a stabilizer if desired but not necessary) approximately 1 Per cent Vinylite A 49 Vinyl-Benzine". 50 Calcium stearate (to serve as a stabilizer if desired but not necessary) 1 will likewise obtain the result desired. In this case, the proportion of Vinyl-Benzine can be increased to 65% and the proportion of Vinylite A" can be reduced to 35% and still a satisfactory bond is obtained. If, however, the "Vinyl-Benzine" is increased substantially above 65%,a satisfactory bond is not obtained. If the percentage of Vinylite A were increased substantially above 50% the melting range would be reduced below that of boiling water, which would permit the separation of the plies of the fabric during the laundering operation.

In order to put the above resinous compounds into paste form which is practical for handling, the resins are dissolved and thoroughly mixed in approximately an equivalent weight of acetone.'

If it is desired to reduce the volatility of the solvent, it may be useful to replace part of the acetone with toluol. The pre+set fabric of the first step is coated at least on one side with the resinous material in such manner as to obtain a continuous film, the use of a standard type back ing machine giving satisfactory results. The resinous coating is shown in the drawing at 3.

It will be seen that the operations first discussed above will serve to impart to the lining fabrics certain degree of firmness, and that the cellulose used to create the bond between the fibres and the threads thereof is of an insoluble nature, both to laundering and the materials used for cleaning purposes as well as the solvents used in'the application of the resinous coating. It will likewise be obvious that the resinous coating applied as above described will further serve to stiffen or make more firm the lining fabric so treated. It is, therefore, practicable to control the degree of stiffness or firmness impartedto the fabric by increasing or decreasing the treatment first described. It is found, however, that in order to obtain a most satisfactory result in the finished article, itis'necessary to keep the amount of resinous material subsequently applied within very close ranges, which will be discussed hereinafter.

It will now be seen that if the treated lining fabric is placed between cover cloths or adjacent a cover cloth, dampened if desired, and exposed to heatand pressure, the solvent, or solvents, is removed and the rigidity of the finished article is increased. The temperature used in the manufacture of collars and in the pressing after laundering in general practice is in the neighborhood of 300 F. The temperature that can be used is naturally limited to that temperature at which the fabric pressed would tend to scorch. In view of the fact that any temperature that could be safely used on cotton fabrics is not sumciently high to destroy the thermoplasticity of the resins used, the resinous coating remains in this condition which is most desirable when the lining is to be vused in a soft or semi-soft collar. Furthermore, it will be obvious that if through some unusual action the lining cloth should become separated in spots from the cover cloth, the resinous material still being in a thermoplastic condition can and will be activated to again create a bond between it and the cover cloth when again exposed to heat and pressure. If a collar is desired which is more stiif than that obtained by the mere pressing step set forth above, the assembled lin ing cloth and cover cloth or cloths may be moistened with a solvent for the resin, for example acetone, and thereafter pressed as described. The completed collar is shown in Figure 1. 1

. Treated as herein proposed, the lining is coated with a continuous film but with the, amount of resinousmaterial controlled within narrow limits to prevent the resinous material, whenin its plastic state as a result of applying heat and pressure, from flowing through the cover cloth or cloths to the degree of penetrating the cover cloth or cloths to the surface thereof, although there is a partial transference of the resin fromwhich can be applied safely to the lining fabric depends somewhat on the weight of the lining fabric used, but for the specific purpose in view, it is found that approximately 1 ounces per square yard of lining fabric will give the results desired without flowing through to the surface of the cover cloth or cloths. The article so produced in-its initial stateis not-permeated by,

water due to the continuous nature of the resinous film. However, during the first laundering of the article,the mechanical action of the laundering which is generally carried on at a temperature approximating F. to F., which is below the melting range of the resinous material used,

causes the resinous coating to crack between the mesh of the fabric which permits the water thereafter to permeate readily. It is well to bear in mind at this point that a. proper balance of resinous materials must be obtained in order to is substantially above that of boiling water (212 F.). Consequently the bond between the lining ply and the cover cloth or cloths of the article does not become separated during laundering.

Since the treatment has not been applied to the cover cloth or cloths, normally having 1% to 6% residual shrink, there remains in the cover cloth a natural tendency to shrink. However, in view of the lamination between the plies being kept intact and the lining ply being the more rigid of the plies as a result of the above described treatment, the lining ply resists the shrink of the cover ply or plies and imparts to the article itself the quality of non-shrinking. Moreover, a certain portion of the resinous coating of the lining ply is transferred to the cover cloth or cloths during the application of heat and pressure, and this also tends to resist the tendency of the cover cloth or cloths to shrink.

In view of the fact that the resinous materials used have a softening range well above 100 F., no softening action takes place at the temperature of perspiration, and further the resins used are particularly balanced to resist the action of acid or alkali. Accordingly, the firmness of the article is retained during normal usage and no tendency to wilt is apparent.

Hereinabove, the use of a cover cloth or cloths has been mentioned and it has been stated that the general practice involves the use of an inner ply between two cover cloths. A satisfactory article can be obtained, however, using only a front surface cover cloth with the inner ply. In

. this case, it is desirable to employ a fine weave in- ,terials employed in treating the lining ply. For

example in certain cases, it may be desirable to employ only one of the principal method steps above mentioned, and in any such case the advantages of the step employed will be obtained without departing from the essential features of the invention.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of a multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, the method of treating at least one of the fabric plies, which comprises applying to the threads of the fabric an adherent substance capable of setting and bonding together the fabric threads to render the fabric substantially non-shrinking and non-stretching while maintaining its pervious structure, and subsequently applying to at least one side of said fabric a coating of thermoplastic resinous material capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling point of water.

2. In the manufacture of a multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, the method of treating at least one of the fabric plies, which comprises applying to the threads of the fabric an adherent water-insoluble substance capable of setting and bonding together the fabric threads to render the fabric substantially non-shrinking and non-stretching while maintaining its pervious structure, and subsequently applying to at least one side of said fabric a coating of thermo-plastic resinous material capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling temperature of water.

3. In the manufacture of a multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, the method of treating at least one of the fabric plies, which comprises applying to the threads of the fabric regenerated cellulose capable of setting and bonding together the fabric threads to render the fabric substantially non-shrinking and nonstretching while maintaining its pervious structure, and subsequently applying to at least one side of said fabric a coating of thermo-plastic resinous material capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling temperature of water, said resinous material being substantially unaffected in color when subjected to repeated laundering of the article.

4. In the manufacture of a multi-ply fabricarticle of apparel, such as a collar, the method of treating at least one of the fabric plies, which comprises applying to the threads of the fabric regenerated cellulose capable of setting and bonding together the fabric threads to render the fabric substantially non-shrinking and nonstretching while maintaining its pervious structure, and subsequently applying to at least one side of said fabric a coating of polyvinyl resins capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retain'mg its adhesion at and below the boiling temperature of water, said resinous material'being substantially unaffected in color when subjected to repeated laundering of the article.

5. A process of manufacturing a multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, which comprises applying to the threads of a lining fabric an adherent substance capable of setting and bonding together the fabric threads to render the fabric substantially non-shrinking and nonstretching while maintaining its pervious structure, applying to each side of said fabric a coating of thermo-plastic resinous material capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling point of water, interposing said fabric between cover cloths, and pressing the assembled multi-ply structure at a temperature suiiiciently high to cementitiously soften the resinous material.

6. A process of manufacturing a multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, which comprises applying to the threads of a lining fabric an adherent substance capable of setting and bonding together the fabric threads to render the fabric substantially non-shrinking and nonstretching while maintaining its pervious structure, applying to each side of said fabric a coating of thermoplastic polyvinyl resins capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling point of water, interposing said fabric between cover cloths, moistening the assembled multi-ply structure with acetone, and pressing the assembled multi-ply structure at a temperature sufliciently high to cementitiously soften the resinous material.

'7. A multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, at least one fabric ply of which has its threads set and bonded together by an adherent substance rendering the fabric substantially nonshrinking and non-stretching, and in which the plies are bonded together by a theme-plastic resinous material capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling temperature of water, said resinous material being substantially unaffected in color when subjected to repeated laundering of the article.

8. A multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, at least one fabric ply of which has its threads set and bonded together by a waterinsoluble substance rendering the fabric substantially non-shrinking and non-stretching, and in which the plies are bonded together by a thermo-plastic resinous material capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boiling temperature of water, said resinous material being substantially unaffected in color when subjected to repeated laundering of the article.

9. A multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar, at least one fabric ply of which has its threads set and bonded together by regenerated cellulose rendering the fabric substantially nonshrinking and non-stretching, and in which the plies are bonded together by a thermo-plastic its adhesion at and below the boiling temperature of water.

10. A multi-ply fabric article of apparel, such as a collar at least one fabric ply of which has its threads set and bonded together by regener-s ated cellulose rendering the fabric substantially non-shrinking and non-stretching, and in which the plies are bonded together by thermo-plastic polyvinyl resins. capable of being cementitiously softened at pressing temperatures and retaining its adhesion at and below the boilin temperature of water. Y

- FRANK a. 

